


fallen mentors

by faketyran, VVanderlxst



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Angst, Based on a roleplay, Exo Guardian (Destiny) - Freeform, Flashbacks, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Grieving, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Just Friends, LITERALLY, Male Guardian (Destiny) - Freeform, Male Guardian OC, Pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, The Iron Lords (Destiny), The Iron Temple, Trauma, Trauma Bonding, Valentine belongs to VVanderlxst, Warlock Guardian (Destiny), but edited to be after, like literally took the replies and pasted them together and edited them into a story, literally written days before the felwinter's lie quest/info came out LMFAO, sorry for disappearing for a year lol, that's a thing I think, yes I'm alive yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28035252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faketyran/pseuds/faketyran, https://archiveofourown.org/users/VVanderlxst/pseuds/VVanderlxst
Summary: Cavalier-3 comes to mourn the loss of his ex-mentor, only to be interrupted by a passing face from his past.
Kudos: 1





	fallen mentors

**Author's Note:**

> God, it's been forever since I've written anything. This is heavily based off of (aka taken straight from) a roleplay done with @VVanderlxst with his character, Valentine. We literally roleplayed this days before the Felwinter's Lie quest came out, so I opted in to add in information we didn't previously have into this story. I typically don't like adding in my own characters into canon parts of Destiny (for example, Cavalier-3 being an Iron Wolf/Lord), but I decided to let that go of that for once with Cavalier. 
> 
> Additionally, Cavalier is selectively mute. Given the small bonding moment and shared traumatizing event, however, he is able to talk to Valentine a bit more easily than usual.
> 
> At some point, I'll actually write about my "main" OCs again. Hopefully, that'll be soon. If you want to keep up with me, feel free to follow my Twitter, @faketyran.

" _Beneath the branches of our iron tree...we reminisce and sing dirges for the lost..."_

Cavalier-3 sung softly to himself as he shouldered open the doors to the Iron Temple. Frigid air shoved its way into the Iron Temple. It was sharp and angry before dying out in the empty, still air. The door closed behind the Warlock and enveloped him in darkness. Pale white optics illuminated the wall in front of him and he breathed out an artificial sigh.

Today was the day that his mentor had fallen.

He stepped forward, grimacing as water splashed at his feet. If Silimar were still alive, he would've roared at the sight of it. Would’ve been enraged that the work he’d slaved over for who knows how long had begun to crumble and weaken.

Cavalier brought forth only a whisper of a flame to his finger as he crouched to the ground, lighting the candles where Tyra Karn had stood some time ago. He followed suit with the rest of the candles in the Temple; the candles by the wolf statues, the candles by the bells, and the small firepits scattered about the temple Then he ventured back to the heart of the Temple, back to the statues of the dead, and brought forth fire to the pit in the middle of the room.

For a moment, he stood beside the pit, gazing upon the statues of his fallen allies. The silent moment faded and like clockwork, he began lighting the candles at the base of the statues. The Exo finished with the of Skorri. 

The ex-Wolf stood there, contemplative. Thinking. Wondering. Considering what they could have done differently. _If_ they could have done differently. With the information that they had learned days ago about Felwinter, he doubted that it was possible.

Warmth slowly began to fill the Temple, drying it out. The wind still roared from the outside, reminding Cavalier of the battlefield from long ago. 

To refocus himself, he began to speak to the statue of Skorri. Of what he'd accomplished in the year past, of what new things had come, of what old things had gone, and what disappointments he'd brought himself. It eased the tension in his shoulders and the worries on his mind, and Cavalier was relieved to get it all out. Lost in his words, he almost became deaf to the sounds around him.

Almost.

The creaking of the Iron Temple’s door closing silenced his words. Footsteps followed. The Warlock’s hand quickly grasped onto his Kindled Orchid at his side, ready to draw. Following suit, he turned towards the entrance, body ready for combat. _Damn them,_ he thought to himself. Damn whoever it was, damn them for interrupting him, _damn them_ for not letting him _sing—_

The Exo’s thoughts came to a complete halt as Felwinter’s helmeted visage stepped into the room with him. Time froze and dragged him back to that dreaded chamber. Ice cold dread filled his throat and lungs and screams of anguish and agony filled his mind. Stills of that day flashed in his mind; traveling, descending, the Iron Lords falling one by one. SIVA burrowing into Felwinter, into Jolder, into _Skorri._

“-thought you were somebody else. But—I think I’ve seen you around before, right? I’m Valentine.”

Cavalier was yanked from his nightmare as Fel— _Valentine_ —spoke to him. The Warlock’s artificial breathing was heavy and panicked, the Sunsinger’s frame trembling from the traumatic experience he had relived moments ago. The other Warlock didn’t seem to mind, or at least notice, what he was currently experiencing, at least. 

"I... I..." Cavalier’s words died, centuries old fear cutting the words from him.

The Sungsinger’s Ghost, Eden, appeared next to him, adorned with an old Iron Song Shell. The Ghost looked furious, mirroring his own Guardian's internal emotions. "Why are you wearing Felwinter's helm? _How_ are you wearing it?" the Ghost demanded.

Valentine hardly reacted to the furious Ghost. In response, he removed the helmet from his head. His eyes were bloodshot and there were drying tears on his pale face. There were tears just at the corner of his eyes, daring to fall.

Had he thought Cavalier was Felwinter?

“It was a gift from him,” Valentine stared down into the face of the helmet, his voice cracking, “to me.”

But the Ghost's fury was unwavering, "You-" he began, only to leash his words with a huff before floating to his Guardian. He pressed lightly into the Warlock's neck and nuzzled him before vanishing.

"Sorry." Cavalier spoke tightly. Words were difficult with strangers and people he felt uncomfortable around. He'd recognized Valentine; he was somewhat familiar, easing the fear in his body. The Warlock supposed a part of it was also seeing the helmet, flashback or not. It had brought forth an ache in his chest, dull and mourning.

"Felwinter's…apprentice," he murmured quietly, mostly to himself. The Exo studied Valentine for a moment, "Cavalier-3." He studied him again. Analyzing. Realizing. Remembering his face from centuries ago. They’d only ever been in passing, but he remembered, nonetheless.

Felwinter had given him something before they’d gone in. Given everyone something. In case they died, in case _he_ had died. It was for someone who hadn’t gone in. He hardly had remembered the face or the name of who it was supposed to be, but given everything that Valentine and his memory had said, all the signs pointed to the Warlock in front of him.

"I'm... sorry for... reminding you of him." he said quietly, words slow and painfully put together, fighting against that irrational fear. "You...weren't...there." he said, fidgeting with his fingers for a moment. "I am... grateful, for that." his voice was quiet, remembering. The Warlock's optics shifted back to Valentine and he looked as stoic as ever. His gaze was soft, though. Worried. Concerned, even.

Valentine nodded. He hadn’t been there. He had chosen to leave the other Light Bearers, despite knowing they were certainly facing their deaths.

"No. No, I wasn't there. I couldn't bring myself to do what they were willing to give their lives for," the Warlock sighed. He looked at the statue, a surge of emotion welling into his throat, "They just- they shouldn't have _gone—_ ” he choked out. Valentine’s Solar Light flared inside of him in response. The tears that began to fall from his eyes steamed as they graced his skin. But his emotions passed as quickly as they had come, and he spoke once again, “--and- I am glad that you made it out alive.” Valentine’s voice came out steadier now.

"Shouldn't be." the Exo muttered, looking back towards the statue of Skorri. "She could've gotten out alive." he said quietly, hands balling into fists. Then they relaxed, resting at his sides. He let out an artificial breath as he turned to face the statue of Skorri. Something -- no, Eden -- tugged at the back of his mind. _What--?_

 _The message!_ His Ghost urged him in his mind.

"Valentine?" he turned to look at the other Warlock. "I... I think...I think I have something for you. Can... you get your Ghost? I'd show you with mine, but I... I think you'd want to keep it."

The armored Warlock nodded, although clearly confused. He had still been focused on his previous words and train of thought from moments before. He hardly had any idea of what the Exo could have had for him.

His Ghost transmatted in and whirred, looking to Valentine. The Ghost was worried for his Guardian, and it showed. He looked disheveled, even. Only moments prior had he been attempting to ease and soothe his Warlock of his burdens. But with the task abandoned for the moment, he turned to Cavalier with a curious little eye.

The Exo gave the Ghost a little smile. Eden appeared beside him, ready to transfer the files and data that had been given to him long ago. The transfer took mere seconds, Eden disappearing soon after.

"He knew something was going to happen." Cavalier said quietly. "Everyone received one, 'cept Saladin, for some reason. It was just in case anything happened. If he came back, we were supposed to delete it, but..." the Warlock trailed off. "I'm sorry it took so long to get this to you, Valentine."

Whatever it was, Cavalier hadn’t ever dared to watch it. The Sunsinger turned away from Valentine, giving him the privacy to listen. Even now, his audio sensors shut themselves down, blocking out the sound. The message wasn’t for him to hear nor learn. It was private. Although, he had a pretty solid idea of _what_ it most likely was, given how urgent Felwinter had seemed to be all those years ago.

When Cavalier turned around to check on Valentine, he found him sitting at the foot of Felwinter’s statue. Valentine’s back was to him, his shoulders slumped and his head in his hands. Soft sobs wracked the other Warlock’s body. It was an odd sight to Cavalier; the other Warlock had the physique of almost a Titan, strong and unwavering. But seeing him toppled so easily was unnerving. Cavalier was unsure of what to do. It wasn't like he and Valentine were friends. They'd only seen each other in passing in the centuries before; a twinge of guilt ran through the Exo, regretting not having made friends with him then. Things would've been different. He would've gotten the video sooner, maybe he would've moved on sooner. The guilt was overwhelming to Cavalier; he felt he was to blame for the Warlock's suffering, at least somewhat. Maybe he could've convinced them to not have gone down, maybe, maybe if he had just tried to stop and think, to really talk to Skorri, who would've spoken to the rest of the Iron Lords..

Cavalier shoved the thoughts from his mind. There was no use in entertaining them. Gingerly, he walked over and sat beside Valentine. "I'm sorry," he murmured quietly. "If you need, I, um, can be your shoulder to cry on."

Valentine’s head snapped up as Cavalier spoke, as if he had forgotten the Exo was there. Tears vaporized on his skin and he shook his head. The words that left him were thick, unsure, “No, no, it’s fine. I needed this.” He paused, and as if to convince himself, “I’ll be fine. I will.”

Cavalier looked at him uncertainly before giving a short nod, "Okay." he said softly, getting back to his feet. "I..." he started, then shook his head. He turned back to face the statue of Skorri. His plans had been ruined; now he wasn't sure what to do. For a moment, he was tempted to try and get Valentine to talk about it, but decided against it. They didn't know each other. There was no point.

"Your name is Cavalier, right?" Came the question from behind him. Cavalier turned to face the other once again. The Warlock had managed to compose himself. Valentine turned his gaze from the statue to him, “I just want to say thank you. Not only for showing me this, but…for doing this. All the candles. They’d love this. _She’d_ love this.”

Cavalier gave him a short nod, “I know,” his voice was sharp. Why _wouldn’t_ he know that? He had been so close to her. He had known so much about her that he had forgotten who he was. When she had died, he had been nothing. It left him an empty shell of a man. But that was then. This was now.

“I know,” Cavalier repeated, softer now. “That’s why I do it. I’ve moved on since then, but… I’d feel ashamed if I didn’t come here every year to remember them. There is no need to thank me, Valentine. I’d do it anyway.”

Valentine nodded, somber. Despite the words of the Exo, he needed to thank him. "I know you would, but you still have my thanks. It means a lot to me," he said with a smile.

Cavalier gave a short nod, mirroring Valentine's smile. He dropped his gaze and turned back to the statue. In the around four hundred years he'd been coming back, he figured not singing for once wasn't going to hurt. Instead, he muttered a prayer to whatever gods were out there, asking them to protect the Iron Lords. From _who_ or _what_ , he wasn’t sure. But it felt natural, a rarity to him these days. The Exo stepped back from the statue, letting his optics sweep over the other Iron Lords.

There was a twinge of regret in his heart; if he had gotten to know the other Iron Lords better, would things have gone differently? No, most likely not. There was no use in stressing over it. It wasn’t anything he could change.

His optics came to rest onto Valentine, who had resumed to looking at the statue of Felwinter. He could only imagine what the other Warlock had felt when the news of Felwinter had emerged. What little of the Iron Lords and Iron Wolves had been informed first; Guardians were only now just learning of what and _who_ Felwinter really was and of the regrets that Rasputin had. Surely, he realized that even if they hadn’t gone down to the replication chamber, Felwinter was destined to die?

The Sunsinger shook the thoughts from his mind, exhaling. That wasn’t something for him to worry about. The Iron Lords had been dead for centuries. Nothing they did could bring them back.

“I’ll see you around, Valentine.” The Sunsinger murmured before exiting the Iron Temple. He hoped that his words spoke true.

**Author's Note:**

> There was so much shit I had to look up for this to make sure my lore was right. VVanderlxst is the lore nerd, not me. Even so, I'm pretty proud of the research I did and how much lore I remembered. Hope you enjoyed it :)


End file.
